


Remaining

by Katherine



Category: Valdemar Series - Mercedes Lackey
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-29
Updated: 2016-01-29
Packaged: 2018-05-16 22:45:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5843884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katherine/pseuds/Katherine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em>Having set Skif on the way to his internship, Talia turned back to the Collegium and her remaining friends, and her Companion.</em>
</p>
<p>Talia comes to realise a truth about her relationship with Skif, and about Rolan.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Remaining

Having set Skif on the way to his internship, Talia turned back to the Collegium and her remaining friends, and her Companion. Rolan met her not far into the Companions' Field. He set an easy pace with her walking beside him to a particular area he liked near one of the streams. When they had stopped there, Talia leaned against his shoulder. Listening to the murmur of the water and feeling the security of Rolan's love, Talia knew she was home. Her home had indeed been with the Heralds for years already.

Rolan craned his head, his nose almost touching her bandaged wrist. He blew warm breath softly over it. There was a tiny darkening spot where her blood had made its way through the torn handkerchief, small though Skif's cut on her wrist had been.

"We said we're family," Talia told Rolan. She and Skif had made themselves blood siblings by oath. She got the distinct impression that Rolan approved.

* * *

It was months later, one night when a long stretch soothing one of Devan's patients had left her restless. Sleep was only coming to her in snatches and all of them with nightmares. She reached out to Rolan, anchoring herself on the familiarity of him. She fell asleep suddenly, and when she roused at the morning bell it was with layered views of the Field in her mind.

That afternoon as she was riding Rolan, a realisation clicked into place like a cog in one of the artificers' devices. In some way it was the memories of the Field that told her. "You did that," she spoke into Rolan's ear, leaning close over his neck to tell him. "You sent me into sleep," she continued. "Last night... And here in the Field, that night with Skif."

Rolan stopped and stood steady, so Talia dismounted and stood in front of him, looking into his impossibly blue eyes. He dipped his head, as if humanly nodding, and as clearer confirmation Talia felt his acknowledgement in her mind. The emotions attached to that were varied, and she sorted through them, trying to match them with detail. There was surprise; was that at her realising only now? Accomplishment verging on smugness; was what Rolan had done difficult or impossible for an ordinary Companion? There was, as well, a little regret; she did not know if that was at his having done what he had, or at the necessity.

Talia said at last, "I suppose you had to." Rolan lowered his head again, although she had voiced the words as a statement. She had had vague ideas, over her years at the Collegium as her bond with Rolan grew yet never expanded to Mindspeaking in words, of arranging a system of signals for him to use with her. But it had always struck her as disrespectful, as if he were a horse she would teach tricks.

"I'm not going to trance down to hear you about this," Talia said. "If you haven't told me before, you probably won't now, and you must have had a reason. Skif and I stayed friends, all through." She rested her forehead against Rolan's neck as she whispered, "but we did want to not be _only_ friends."


End file.
